Faculty and Staff

Aida Ali Akreyi serves as an adjunct instructor in the UNC MPA program, teaching Public Administration Analysis and Evaluation. 

Ali Akreyi is the Statistician and Operations Lead for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) program at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Prior to joining NCES, she worked as a contractor for the American Institutes for Research (AIR),...

Gregory S. Allison is an expert in, lectures on, and provides technical support in the field of governmental accounting and financial reporting. Allison is the director of the School’s Municipal and County Administration course. 

He joined the School in 1997. Previously, he was assistant director with the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada in Chicago, Illinois; former finance director for the City of Morganton, North Carolina; and an auditor with...

Rebecca Badgett is an expert on grants management. In her role as teaching assistant professor, she provides provides training, consulting, and publications for local governments. Her courses largely focus on internal control and compliance with the federal Uniform Guidance and state law. Badgett also plays a key role in the facilitation of the Lead for North Carolina program, where she teaches and advises the fellows throughout the program and manages the training and curriculum for the...

Justin Barbaree began teaching in the online MPA program in 2015, where he has taught PUBA 721 Professional Communication. He is also full-time faculty at the University of North Georgia, where he teaches writing and literature courses in the English department. Justin also lived and taught in South Korea for a decade, where he taught academic writing, composition, and presentation courses to undergraduate students. He worked with the Gangwon Provincial Government Office, where he...

Alexandra Bartz is a 2016 graduate of the online UNC MPA program and returned to the program in 2022 as adjunct faculty. Since 2007, Bartz has devoted her career to work in nonprofits, focusing on program design, implementation, innovation, and evaluation. Currently, she serves national director of program implementation at Summer Search, a national youth development nonprofit based in Oakland, California. In her role, Bartz oversees program implementation across the five-region...

Maureen Berner is a professor of public administration and government at the School of Government. She is an expert on cross-organizational collaboration, food insecurity and assistance, social services programs, program evaluation, and survey methodology.

At the School, Berner teaches research methods and program evaluation courses to both graduate students and practitioners. She has led in-depth evaluation projects at the local, state, and federal levels. In addition, Berner has...

Jerri L. Bland joined the School of Government in 2019 as an adjunct instructor with the MPA program. Jerri is the managing director and virtual CIO for Cloud CIO. Bland previously served as the deputy chief information officer for Columbia University and ...

Kirk Boone joined the School of Government in 2014. Previously, he was the North Carolina sales and consulting lead for Tax Management Associates, Inc. in Charlotte. Boone began his governmental career in 1992 with the North Carolina Department of Revenue, where he was a property valuation specialist for 18 years. He is designated a Certified North Carolina Appraiser by the North Carolina Association of Assessing Officers ...

Mark Botts is an associate professor of public law and government in the School of Government at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He specializes in mental health law and provides training, consulting, and publications for mental health professionals ...

Julie Brenman joined the School of Government as adjunct instructor in 2008. She has over 15 years of local government executive experience and currently works as a management consultant to governments and nonprofits. Previously, Brenman served as director of strategic initiatives, assistant city manager, and director of budget and management services for the City of Durham. Before moving to North Carolina, she worked for the city and county of San Francisco, California, as director of...

Brittany Bromell is an expert in criminal law and procedure, with expertise in domestic violence and computer crimes. 

As a faculty member, Bromell teaches and advises courtroom professionals, including judges, magistrates, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and law enforcement officers.

She joined the School of Government in July 2020. Prior to joining the School, she received a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a J.D. from the North Carolina Central...

Anita R. Brown-Graham rejoined the School of Government in September 2016 to lead the public launch of ncIMPACT—a special initiative that seeks to expand the School’s capacity to work with public officials on complex policy issues. Since her arrival, she and her colleagues have devised programs to support communities working on economic mobility, poverty, the expansion of prekindergarten, extending the labor pool, and ...

As program associate for the School of Government, Brooke Cale is responsible for managing programs serving court judges, magistrates, and public defenders.

She joined the School of Government in 2022. Previously, Cale worked in the hospitality industry for nine years as front office manager at The Carolina Inn and housekeeping manager in Arlington, VA. 

She earned a bachelor's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Erica Carlisle joined the School of Government as program manager in 2023.

Previously, she worked in the Office of Admissions at Barton College in Wilson, NC. There, she managed all recruitment events, as well as communication campaigns and partnerships with other campus offices.

Carlisle earned a bachelor's degree from East Carolina University, where she was also a member of the Honors College.

Christopher A. Cody is a Principal Researcher at American Institutes for Research, where he serves as the project director for their postsecondary administrative data division and longitudinal studies work with the National Center for Education Statistics. Prior to joining American Institutes for Research, Cody was the director of research and public policy at The Public School Forum of North Carolina. While there, he was also a fellow with the education policy fellowship program sponsored...

Melanie Crenshaw joined the School of Government in August 2022, working with magistrates in the area of civil law. Prior to joining the School, she worked as a magistrate in Cumberland County. Before serving as a magistrate, Crenshaw was in private practice in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she represented clients in a variety of matters related to family law. While in private practice, she also worked as an adjunct professor at the Elon University School of Law in the areas of family law...

Miranda Day serves as a coordinator for the School's Center for Public Leadership and Governance. She joined the School in 2024.

Prior to joining the School, Day worked in project management, weddings and special events, sales, and marketing.

She earned a bachelor's degree from NC State University.